Mudbound settles down in 1940's rural Mississippi to tell the tale of two families. The film trails the various members of the white McAllen family as they acquire Mississippi farmland while also following the Jacksons, a black family of sharecroppers who live on the McAllen farm and must adapt to the changing circumstances. Meanwhile, both families have relatives returning from World War II who now must adjust to civilian life after harrowing experiences overseas.
I'll come right out of the gate and say I knew next to nothing about Mudbound before watching it. I wasn't even entirely certain of the film's setting because the costume design seemed to evoke the aesthetic of the Reconstruction era, but could have really fit any post-Civil War production. I had essentially only seen a few images and talk of Oscar buzz. That's about it... Mudbound wound up receiving four Oscar nominations, lots of critical praise, and it's even on Netflix so I figured I ought to watch it at home whenever I got a chance, and I can't tell you how refreshing it was to watch something I hardly knew anything about. It's really been AWHILE since I've seen anything in that context.
For the first twenty minutes or so, I thought to myself, "What's the big deal?... This is remarkably unexceptional and uninteresting." as the film opened to brothers trying to bury their father in a storm with absolutely no context. The lacking explanation was troubling because that's just an odd way to start something off... There's a sense of palpable tension between the characters, but you don't really know why. The film then goes back to introduce everyone and insert the necessary exposition. When this first ensued, I was becoming more and more uncertain of what I was watching because Henry McAllen seemed to be the protagonist and was just an all-around uninteresting character... How in the world was I going to be invested for two hours and fifteen minutes?!? Then, the perspective shifted and my interest gradually grew as I realized this was an ensemble-lead film told from multiple points-of-view. This film was not going to be the run-of-the-mill Reconstruction-era set farming flick I suspected it would be.
Mudbound is directed by Dee Rees and features a screenplay written by Rees and Virgil Williams which adapts Hillary Jordan's novel of the same name. I think the strongest element of the film would be how well Rees and Williams capture the perspective of each character in this sprawling Southern story. Regardless of whether you can personally relate or not, you can emphasize with almost every character's situation and that's really impressive considering how many characters take part in the tale. We're shown the horrors of financial hardship, gender inequality, racism/segregation, alcoholism, and PTSD through the lenses of several characters, but the film never really reaches the point of being overbearing with its messages. Rees isn't telling this story purely for the purposes of pointing out or reminding you of social injustice, because we already know these things are wrong.
These topic aren't new because they're embedded in the foundations of society, and so naturally, we've seen them discussed similarly elsewhere. While these problems are greatly diminished in comparison to today, there are still traces of them. However, Mudbound doesn't strive for social relevance or attempt to radicalize discussions of social injustice. It's simply a story that deals with heavy subject matter in an effort to have us consider the blight of others.
With that being said, it doesn't make it easy to watch these troubling events unfold. Mudbound will be an extremely uncomfortable experience at times because that's the nature of the setting. While it may be enticing to fast forward through these scenes or turn it off altogether considering you'll have to watch Mudbound on Netflix, I implore those who read my review and decide to watch the film to endure for the sake of understanding other's misfortune.
On a much less melancholy note, Mudbound is beautifully shot by female cinematographer, Rachel Morrison. Fun fact: she's the first female cinematographer to ever receive an Oscar nomination and she's also the director of photography (an alternate title for a cinematographer) for the next week's big Marvel release, Black Panther. Needless to say, she's deserving of any recognition she receives and I CAN'T WAIT to see what beautiful imagery we have in store once we see Wakanda because the trailers have been quite promising on that front. Elsewhere, Tamar Kali's score is as heavy and haunting as the film's subject matter and lingered in my ear long afterwards.
As for the cast, everyone delivers a quality performance. Jason Clarke probably impressed me the least of the bunch as Henry because I wasn't too invested in his character, but he's still fine in the role. As Laura McAllan, Carey Mulligan makes a substantial impression by aptly articulating her character's strife. Her arc is certainly among the more compelling to be found as her dilemma relates to a frosty marriage and an disinterest in a rural homelife. Filling out their family, Jonathan Banks offers an eerily authentic portrayal of a ruthless racist as Pappy McAllan.
Rob Morgan, who many may be familiar with from Stranger Things or the various Marvel Netflix series, provides Hap Jackson with a warm, respectable disposition. Meanwhile, I kept a diligent eye on Mary J. Blige because she was the only cast member nominated for an Oscar, and I must say that I was severely underwhelmed... Blige is fine as a motherly figure, but her performance was nothing exceptional or Oscar worthy in my opinion...
When it comes down to it, Mudbound is an excellent ensemble piece that relishes in character drama. It wasn't what I expected, but I was amazed at how quickly it grabbed and maintained my attention once the wagon started rolling.
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